Lightweight balanced safety anchors



1961 c. A. WINSLOW 2,994,292

LIGHTWEIGHT BALANCED SAFETY ANCHORS Filed May 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1F1 7 Fi 2,

IN V EN TOR.

Aug. 1, 1961 C. A. WINSLOW LIGHTWEIGHT BALANCED SAFETY ANCHOR-S FiledMay 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 2,994,292 LIGHTWEIGHTBALANCED SAFETY AN CHORS Charles A. Winslow, 5640 Castle Drive, Oakland,Calif. Filed May 25, 1959, Ser. No. 815,742 9 Claims. (Cl. 114-208) Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 645,246,filed March 11, 1957, now abandoned.

This invention relates to an improved anchor of relatively lightweightconstruction but having holding power far in excess of conventionalstock-less anchors, commonly used in the past. For example, a generallyaccepted standard for conventional Navy-type stockless anchors has beentwo pounds of holding power on sandy bottom per pound of anchor weight,for the reason that conventional anchors were limited in their abilityto dig far enough below the surface of the bottom for good holdingqualities. The anchor of the present invention, on the other hand, whenconstructed of high tensile ma terials, has hundreds of pounds ofholding power per pound of anchor weight in a hard sandy bottom, whereit can dig down properly and is provided with the proper scope andweight of anchor cable.

Furthermore, the present improved anchor immediately engages the bottomwhen a pull is applied, causing the anchor to dig in, in a straight,guided path downwardly until it is completely buried beneath thesurface.

Another important feature of the invention is that the anchor, with anouter edge generally in the form of the letter M, is guided in astraight line and is prevented from rotating or spilling its load by aflat fluke arrangement and by flanges on the outside edges of the flatflukes. The entire cross-section of the anchor provides a minimum amountof resistance and a maximum amount of guiding and holding area on theflukes, all of which contribute to a maximum of holding power with aminimum of weight and resistance, thus permitting the anchor to dig intothe bottom with a thin cross-section similar to the action of adouble-pointed shovel, which would be continuously pressed into a sandor soft bottom on a 30 angle.

Thus, it is to be understood that the anchor has a relatively smallcross-sectiona1 area in proportion to its size and can be pulled throughsoft mud or sand until it digs deep enough to reach a relatively hardbottom for adequate holding. The M shape of the anchor makes unnecessarysuch appurtenances as orossarms, stocks, crowns, and other meanscommonly used in the past to cause the points of the flukes to dig intothe bottom. Thus a simple, compact structure is provided wherein theanchor, on being withdrawn from the bottom, can be stowed flat againstthe side of a hull or on deck without any extrusions such aspalm-flukes, long extruding stocks, or high crowns, which occupyconsiderable space and provide entangling hazards for lines, chains,etc.

From research and experimental work in connection with the design andconstruction of anchors and comparisons with various other kinds andtypes of anchors, I have determined that minimum cross-sectional areaand light weight are important factors in the general handling of andvthe holding power of an anchor for use on small boats, aircraft, etc.,where weight is an important factor. I have, therefore, used novelconstruction as a feature of the invention wherein two simple, identicalstampings are spot-welded back to back, forming an axis opening forpinioning the shank to the flukes. The flanges on the sides of theflukes are preferably braced with a band when the anchor is made in itsstamped form, and the whole construction may be dipped in a galvanizingtank, thus making a firm, smooth, metallically bonded, rust-proofconstruction of maximum.

strength with minimum weight and cross-sectional area.

ICE

2 This construction, by providing minimum cross-sectional area, insureseasy fluke entrance and deep penetration into a normal bottom.

Another important feature is that the construction and design providethe novel feature of forming guiding surfaces on all four dimensions ofthe anchor to insure that it cannot furrow, skid, or rotate and lose itshold on the bottom by being rotated or twisted clear of the bottom, asis the case with conventional stockless anchors.

In practice in the present invention, weight is not re: lied on to causethe anchor to dig. On the other hand, the guiding surfaces of the flukefaces and the guiding surfaces of the flanges on the outside of theflukes and the flat surfaces of the band bonding and bracing the sidesand the fluke faces, all have a guiding influence to cause the anchor totravel in a straight line in the same general direction in. which it hasbeen started, after being dragged along the bottom. From experimentswith these features of the invention, I have determined that, regardlessof the position in which the anchor strikes the bottom or, in otherwords, is started on its path into the bottom, it will still travel in adownward direction. For instance, assuming that the anchor landedprimarily among rocks, roots, etc., and was dragged with the flukes in avertical position, in a groove as it were, it can be seen that thepoints of either fluke which are down will immediately dig into thebottom and go down, due to the guiding flanges on the outside face ofthe flukes; thus, in a soft bottom, the anchor will hold in a verticaldirection as well as in a horizontal direction. This is not true withany conventional anchor provided with a stock or crowns for causing theanchor to take hold of the bottom surface.

Another important feature of the invention is the provision of anadjustable shear-pin, the purpose of which is to retrieve the anchoreven though in use it is hopelessly fouled on the bottom and could notnormally be pulled in or retrieved with any forward or vertical motion.In the case of the present invention, a stop on the shank limitsthetravel of the flukes to a normal 30 operating angle from the center lineof the shank. In other words, as long as the anchor is dragged ahead bythe shank, the maximum exerted pull is between the shank and thecross-bolt or the axis of the movement between the shank and the flukes.Thus, the shear-pin normally has a relatively tinually dig down andmaintain the 30 angle, whichis limited as by contact of aY-shapedextension on the bot tom of the shank. For example, assumingthat the anchor was lodged under a root or rock with a forward pull, aswould be normal in arresting the drag of a vessel from the force ofeither the tide or wind; thus the general direction of the cableattached to the anchor would be normal, with the points of the flukesbeing held down by a:

forward pull on the anchor shank. Assuming now that the anchor is to beretrieved and the shank is raised until,

the cable is in nautical terms up short 'or vertical, with the points ofthe flukes caught by some obstruction, the pressure on the shear-pinthen becomes abnormal. Since it is constructed of dimensions andmaterials which can be broken by a predetermined abnormal straindirectly away from the points of the flukes, this pull causes the end ofan adjustable shear-pin to be sheared off and permits withdraw the boatusage, etc.

The facts that the anchor can be retrieved and that loss of groundtackle, including the anchor and cable, is prevented, are importantfeatures of invention. Furthermore, in the event of bad weather, wherethe anchor has been fouled and retrieved by use of the shear-pin method,it can be readjusted in a few moments and re-used by simply screwing inthe shear-pin to another position, where it is again useful as ashear-pin without replacement.

In the preferred form of my anchor, fiat M- shaped fluke points areprovided with guiding surfaces on the outer edge parallel with theshank. Also, in the preferred form, the area of the holding surface ofthe fiukes is divided on opposite sides of a through-bolt or axis,dividing the load on the surface which is balanced so that, by Weight,the points of the flukes when raised vertically will always remainparallel with the shank, thus dropping E sand, mud, etc.

Further, inverted V-shaped guiding surfaces on the outer edge of theM-shaped fiukes, which might be likened to the palms on the fiukes of anold-style stock anchor, perform an entirely different function; that is,they are parallel with the shank and when pulled through mud or sandthey resist very little and serve to guide the flat surface of theflukes down deeper until a hold is taken finally in a relatively hard,stiff bottom, rather than on the surface of the bottom, as would be thecase with an anchor that can be dragged and skidded or rotated on thesoft, muddy surface of the bottom.

I have thus provided relatively wide bottom surfaces that tend to tipthe points of the flukes down without materially adding to the resistingsurface of the crosssection of the anchor. For instance, in the stampedform shown, fiat thin surfaces are shown as braces, to brace theparallel sides of the anchor to the fiukes. In the cast form, I haveindicated with dotted lines that suitable fillets can be provided. Ineither case, the wide, flat rear portion or bottom edge of the guides orflanges will contact the bottom, and when the anchor is drawn ahead willhave the same function as crowns; that is, to cause the points of thefiukes to rotate down. In this case, however, very little resistance isencountered, permitting the anchor to dig deeper than would be the casewhere crowns, stocks, or other extraneous material adding tocross-sectional area is added.

Another important feature of the anchor invention is that both flukepoints are held in compression by the axis-bolt against spreading ordistorting in use, normally bracing the side flanges by tension of thebolt and compression of the fiukes.

Another important feature is that any side pull on the fluke points isalso braced against and resisted by the maximum metal thickness, whichis at and below the point of shank attachment and pinioning of theflukes.

. Summarizing the above, the anchor is provided with guiding surfacescausing it to go down and be guided in a relatively straight line and isprevented from rotating or skidding by a relatively large area ofguiding surfaces which have a comparatively small cross-sectional area.The actual holding area of the anchor is balanced by a bolt through theflukes and shank on which the weight of the anchor is balanced, so thatthe flukes will remain in a vertical position when the anchor is raised.Yet, when the anchor is on the bottom, the points of the fiukes and thearea presented will be greater on the pointend of the flukes than on thebottom part below the axis, thus causing the anchor to always maintain adigging position when pulled along by the shank. The crosssectionalarea, while it is balanced, and the points of the flukes tend to travelaway from the shank, reaches the limit when the Y-formed part on thebottom of the shank reaches a stop, thus limiting the digging angle ofthe flukes to approximately 30 away from the center line of theshank. Mp 7 r The preferred form of the anchor, as shown on the drawings, hasbeen described as stamping and spot-welded construction. It is to beunderstood that the novel design of the anchor also provides a verysimple and suitable form to be manufactured from castings. In otherwords, the entire construction can be made from two simple castingswherein fillets are provided in place of the band at the bottom of theflukes and a hole is cored through the fiukes for the provision of abolt or rivet to pivot the shank from the fiukes, as is indicated in thedrawings. The anchor can be molded without the necessity of core boxesand completed from two simple castings, a stock core being used toprovide the opening for the bolt or rivet through the flukes.

The invention includes many other objects and features of advantage,some of which, together with the foregoing, will appear hereinafter,wherein preferred forms of anchor construction are set forth anddescribed in the drawings forming a part of this description andillustration.

tion of the fiukes Where they lie on a angle from the center line of theshank. Also in broken lines a portion of the flukes is shown swung back135 from operational position on the bottom, when the shear-pin isbroken.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the anchor of FIG. 1, indieating the flukesparallel with the shank and further illustrating the minimumcross-sectional area of the anchor in either the cast or stamped form.It further illustrates the bottom of the adjustable shear-pin and thebottom of the anchor.

FIG. 4 is a view in front elevation of a modified form of anchor alsoembodying the principles of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a view in vertical section through the anchor, taken along theline 55 in FIG. 4. The normal vertical position of the anchor is shownin solid lines, while 16 are bound with a-metalstrip 18 which serves tostiffen broken lines indicate a position where the shank is swung about30 away from the center line of the fiukes, and an additional dottedline indicates a swing of the shank of for the purpose of pulling theanchor out backwards when the shear-pin is broken.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the anchor of FIG. 4. Broken linesindicate that the band on the bottom of the anchor can be made tocompletely surround the base of the anchor, if desired, to add weight orstrength.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in end elevation of the anchor of FIG. 4. Aline X shows the plane of contact on the bottom, made by the points ofthe flukes and the crowns, which extend out beyond the base of theflukes on the bottom.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view in elevation of one of the stampings usedin the anchor of FIGS. 4 through 7.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view in elevation and in section, takengenerally along the line 9-9 in FIG. 8, with two stampings placed backto back and spot-welded together. Portions are broken away to savespace.

Referring to. the drawings; in FIG. 1, a shank 10 is shown with acable-attachment opening 11. The shank 10 is attached to twin fiukes 12by a central axis-bolt 13, which is provided with nuts or riveted ends14 to prevent the points 15 of the fiukes 12 from spreading duringoperation. Parallel flanges 16 are turned on the outer edges of theflukes 12, terminating at a point 15 on the upper end of the flukes andforming a wide T-shaped section 17. on the bottom edge of the anchor.The flanges thefianges 16 and also act as crowns to tipthe points-15ofthe flukes' 12 down into the bottom when the anchor is laid flatthereon. Short flanges 19 are provided on the flukes 12 to space thebottom end 20 of the shank and to stiffen the flukes 12 at the bottomedge of the V between the flukes. The bottom end 20 of the shank 10 isalso provided with a Y-formed wrench-like extension 21 which serves tocontact the stop member 22, thus limiting the travel of the shank 10relative to the flukes 12 to approximately a 30 angle on either side.(See FIG. 2.) The stop member 22 is an extension of an adjustablecapscrew 23 which, when adjusted, is locked in the proper position by alock-nut 24. The extension 22 of the capnut 23 becomes an adjustableshear-pin and stop member normally limiting the travel of the points ofthe flukes to a 30 digging angle and also providing, under abnormalconditions, a weak link or shear-pin, to permit the shank 10 to swingfurther than its normal working position of 30, as will be describedlater in connection with FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGS. 1 and 3,as indicated. 'Like reference characters are used throughout thedescription. It is to be understood that when the shank 10 is in avertical posi tion, as shown in solid lines, the flukes will normallybalance so that the points of the flukes 12 will remain parallel withthe center line of the shank 10, for the reason that the weight of thematerial in the anchor is balanced so that the part below the axis ofthe central bolt 13 outweighs the material above the center of the axis,thus maintaining a normal vertical balance for the flukes. Thus, whenthe anchor is drawn up from the bottom, the points 15 of the flukes 12come up parallel with the shank 10 and prevent hooking on the side ofthe hull or scratching same with the sharp points of the flukes.Furthermore, sand and mud is normally shed from the vertical surfacesmore easily than is the case with conventional anchors. During normaloperation, when the anchor lands on the bottom it normally lies flat andthus makes a four-point contact between the points 15 of the flukes 12and the corners 25 of the band 18, enclosing the wide-flanged surfaceson the lower end of the flukes 12. Thus, as the anchor is drawn ahead bythe ground tackle and shank 10, the points of the flukes are tipped downby the resistance of the wide end of the flanges 16 and corners 25,which serve in this case as crowns would on conventional anchors.

In other words, the effect of dragging the anchor ahead is that theresistance of the wide corners 25 on the flanges 16 and band 18 incontact with the ground surface rotates the fluke points 15 down intothe sand or mud and thus causes the anchor to be drawn downward on a 30angle into the bottom. The 30 angle is determined in shear-pin modelanchors by the branch, wrench-like extension 21 and adjustable shear-pinpoint 22 which limits and controls the digging angle of the flukes 12 upto a certain limit, which, incidentally, is safely within the limits ofthe shearing strength of the point 22 of the pin and the shearingextension 26 on the point of the wrench-like extension 21 of the shank10. In other words, as long as the dragging force is balanced by thearea of the flukes above and below the pin, the shear-pin is only a stopmeans, limiting the travel of the points of the flukes. On the otherhand, should the points of the flukes become fouled under a root, rock,etc., and the shank 10 of the anchor be pulled vertically, as would bethe case with the anchor being hauled up short or the case of apowerdriven vessel being run backward against the rode of the anchor,then an abnormal strain is placed on the shearpin 22 by the points ofthe jaw 26, thus shearing it off and permitting the anchor to be pulledout backward and out from under the obstruction under which the pointswere hooked. After the anchor is recovered, the lock-nut 24 can beslacked and the cap-screw head 23 readjusted to provide a new point 22for further operation, without the necessity of replacing the cap-screw23 until such time as it has been used beyond its normal limit ofusefulness. In larger models of the anchor, wherein the shear-pinfeature is not desired, the jaws of the wrench-like formation areextended as indicated at 27 and are formed to fit onto the surface 28 tocontrol and limit the digging angle of the points of the flukes 15.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom view of the anchor with the points of theflukes paralleling the center line of the shank. In the form shown, theflukes 12 are indicated as being made of sheet steel, sheet stainlesssteel, or other suitable material, and are shown as flat surfaces 12with flanged parallel ribs on the outside, bound and supported by acontinuous strip of metal, spot-welded to and completely enveloping bothsides of the anchor, comprising at the center six thicknesses supportingthe point of most strain; that is, where the forked shank stops againstthe shearpin 22 or laminated surfaces of the lowermost part 23 of theanchor. In the form shown, after the two identical fluke stampings areplaced back to back, spot-welded, and bound with the band 18, I preferto dip the assembled parts into a galvanizing bath; thus all of theinterstices between the laminated material are filled with bondingmetal, thus comprising a unitary structure of light weight and maximumstrength for the weight of the material used in the construction of theanchor. After the fluke assembly is manufactured as described, I preferto insert the shank and place the bolt 13 through the assembly, thus,with the nuts 14 or equivalent rivet heads, I provide a stress member,holding the assembly firmly together at the point of greatest stress, ina simple, economical, light weight construction.

Where a cast anchor is preferred, or for other reasons, it is to beunderstood that the same general design can be made by substitutingfillets at the dotted line indicated at 30 and the elimination of thestrip-metal band 18. The strips 18 could follow a similar path. The samegeneral novel form and features of the invention can be produced in twovery simple castings, which can be made without cores. For instance, theshank 10 can be cast finished, including the wrench on the lower end,the hole for the pin 13, and the hole 11 for the provision of groundtackle. In other words, this part can be cast without cores. Referringto the flanged flukes 12 and specifically to the bottom view shown inFIG. 3, fillets as indicated by the bottom lines 30 can be providedonthe pattern, substituting for the band 18 which, in cast form, will beeliminated. Thus, the pattern will be made in halves, a stock core willbe provided for the axis-bolt 13, and the fluke assembly will be cast asa single unit without the use of core boxes; and thus two simplecastings can be assembled by the insertion of a bolt 13 through thestockcored hole in the flukes and a sand-cast hole through the shank,providing a. completely cast anchor without the use of any machiningwhatsoever. In this case and for large anchors without the shear-pinfeature, the bottom end 20 of the shank 10 could be provided with aY-formed extension as indicated at 27, FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 through 9 show a modified form of anchor 50, comprising flukestampings spot-welded together, back to back, and galvanized afterassembly and also embodying the principles of the invention, and in manyways similar to the anchor of FIGS. 1 to 3. A shank 51 has acableattachment opening 52 and is attached to twin flukes 53 by anaxis-shaft 54. In this instance, the stamped flukes 53 are formed toprovide a cavity for the axis-shaft 54. Openings 55 are provided tosimplify stamping procedure and to provide a vent opening to insure thatgalvanizing metal will completely fill the interstice between the axisshaft 54 and the stampings 53. This enables elimination of the nuts 14outside the flukes in FIG. 1 and insures a thorough metallic bondbetween assembled parts.

, Parallel perpendicular flanges 60 are provided on the outer edges ofeach fluke 53 and terminate at the top at a point 61'. Again, the flukes53 with their flanges 60 appear as a wide T-shaped configuration at thebottom edge of the anchor 50, as shown best in FIG. 6. The flanges 60are preferably bound with a metal strip 62, which serves to stiffen theflanges 60 and also to help tip the points 61 of the flukes 53 down intothe bottom mud when the anchor 50 is laid flat on the bottom. In thisinstance, it will be seen that the strips 62 exactly follow the contourof the flukes, instead of separating from them as in FIG. 3. Thesestrips 62 may continue across the whole length of the flanges, as shownin the dotted-line portion 63, in FIG. 6.

The bottom end 64 of the shank 51 is also provided with a Y-shaped,wrench-like extension 65, which serves to contact a stop member 66, thuslimiting travel of the shank 51 relative to the flukes 53. Preferably,an angle of approximatly 30 is the limit, as shown in FIG. 5. The stopmember 66 and its breakable shear-pin or shank 67 are shown anddescribed in another patent application, Serial No. 640,392, filedFebruary l5, 1957.- When the shear-pin 67, which normally holds thestops 66, is broken, the shank 51 can swing around 135 to where it canbe pulled out backward.

Once again, the anchor flukes 53 are preferably made from a pair ofstampings 70 placed back to back, one of the stampings being shown inFIG. 8, and their backto-back placement being illustrated in FIG. 9. Thepinion-bar or axis-bolt 54 is encased between the two stampings 70 thatform the flukes 53, the openings between the matched holes 55 beingformed by mated semi-cylindrical depressions.

FIG. 6 shows that the cross-section of the anchor 50 is very thin, whichpermits it to dig in with very little frictional resistance when theanchor 50 is drawn along by the shank 51. As FIG. 7 shows, theconstruction is quite smooth, with the strips 62 providing crowns 71extending beyond the base of the flukes 53 on the bottom, the line-Xindicating the plane of contact of the anchor when it lies on thebottom. -It will be noted that the fluke flanges 60 form generallytriangular end sections, while the flukes 50 themselves are pointed in ageneral M-shape but, in this instance, with some curvature applied,along the upper edge 72 of the flukes 53.

As FIG. 8 shows, the stampings 70 that form the opposite sides of theflukes 53 are flanged not only on the outside at 60 but also on theinside at 73. The inside flanges 73 form a guiding surface withrelatively large contact wearing-area for the shank assembly as itslides from side to side on the pinion-bolt 54, when the anchor 50 is inuse. The pinion-bolt 54 itself holds the shank assembly to the flukes,being encased and welded in the half-circular formed section which, whentwo members are put together, forms the cylindrical opening 75. Inassembly, the two stampings 70 are placed back to back and preferablyspot-welded and then galvanized, thereby forming the housing for thepinion-bolt 54 and securing same with a metallic bond.

The present anchor gives full holding power and, also, five safetyfeatures. For one thing, there is instant digin through the leveraction. Anchors that slide flat across the bottom are not able to bold,.but the anchor of this invention has two tripping-arms to forcetheflukes 53 in and then to pull themstraight. The side, guides ,or flanges60 also form anti-rotation means which prevent the rotation orcorkscrewing of the anchors, an action. that tends to pull them outagain after they take hold. The side flanges 53 make the anchor pulldown straight and level.

The anti-snag release feature enables the anchor to be pulled out whenthe shear-pin 67 breaks, without having to worry about the pin 67breaking under normal. pull.

- The flukes 53 do n t flop. The anchor 50 is sobalanced that the flukes53 stand straight up, when it is hoisted or carried, and do not stickout where they can catch apersbn in -the legs. There is no stock of theconventional kind, with rods that stick out from the side to" trip a manwho is carrying the anchor as-when bringing it aboard or laying it onthe deck.

I'Ih a'nchoral'so has noside-wall obstructions; so. mud slides off whenthe anchor is hoisted.

From the foregoing it is understood that the novel features of theinvention are adaptable to either fabrication in sheet steel, etc., orsand casting, die casting, etc., providing new and novel features inanchor construction and manufacture, and bringing about new uses andfeatures of anchors not heretofore known or used.

Therefore, having described my anchor in its preferred form, what Iclaim is:

1. An anchor comprising a shank, twin flukes each formed of a pair ofmetal stampings, said flukes being arranged in the general form of theletter M and having tapered parallel flanges at their outer edges, saidflanges terminating at points at the upper end of the flukes andwidening from said points at an approximate 35 angle to a total bottomwidth approximately 50% of the length of said flukes, said stampingsprovided with elongated transverse semicylindrical portions forming acylindrical bearing up approximately 20% of the distance from the bottomof said flukes, the metal stampings of each of said pairs being fastenedback to back, and a bolt attached to one end of said shank and pivotallymounted in said bearing.

2. An anchor comprising a vertical shank, twin flukes pivotally attachedto said shank and each formed of a pair of metal stampings that areT-shaped in horizontal cross-section to provide parallel flanges attheir outer edges and flat vertical portions between said shank and saidflanges, said flanges tapering up to points at the upper end of theflukes, the upper edge of the said flat vertical portions having sharppoints at and being highest at their intersection with said flanges andsloping down to a low portion where they lie closest to said shank.

3. The anchor of claim 2 wherein the pivot line of said flukes lies at adistance of about 20% from. the bottom of said flukes toward the top.

4. An anchor comprising a shank, twin flukes each formed of a pair ofmetal stampings fastened back to back, the outer and upper edges of saidflukes describing the general form of the letter M, said flukes havingtapered parallel flanges at their outer edges terminating at points atthe upper end of the flukes, said flukes being pivotally attached to oneend of said shank and a metal band surrounding said fluke stampings andtheir flanges and reinforcing them.

5. An anchor comprising a shank, twin flukes pivotally mounted to saidshank and arranged with outer and top edges in thegeneral form of theletter M and having tapered parallel flanges at their outer edges, saidflanges terminating at points at the upper end of the flukes andwidening from said points to a wide bottom, and serving as parallelguides for said anchor, the bottom portion of said flukes being heavierthan the upper portion for aiding in rotating said flukes down when saidanchor is dragged on the bottom, and stop means to limit the movement ofsaid flukes relative to said shank;

6. An anchor comprising a shank, twin flukes having outer and upperedges describing the general form of the letter M and tapered parallelflanges at their-outer edges terminating at points at the upper end ofthe flukes, said flukes being pivotally attached to one end of saidshank, and a metal band surrounding said fluke stampings and theirflangw and reinforcing them.

7. An. anchor comprising a shank, flukes each formed of a pair of. metalstampings fastened back to back-and shaped to provide a horizontallengthwise opening between them, the outer and upper edges of saidflukes describing the-general form of the letter M, said flukes havingtapered parallel flanges at their outer edges terminating at points atthe upper end of the flukes, and a shaft in the opening between saidmetalstampingsand pivotally attaching said flukesto one endof saidshank.

8."An anchor comprising a shank, twin flukes with outer and upper edgesdescribing the general form of the letter M, said flukes having taperedparallel flanges at their .ourter'edges terminating at points at'theupper end of the flukes, said flukes being pivotally attached to one endof said shank, said shank being provided with an inverted Y-formedsection on its lower end that serves as stop means, a threaded memberthreaded up from the bottom of said flukes and projecting up above theminto the area defined by said Y--formed section, said Y-formed sectionlimiting the travel of the flukes to about 30 on either side of center.

9. The anchor of claim 8 wherein said threaded memher is considerablyoverlength so that if its projecting end 10 is broken ofi, it can bethreaded further up and used again.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ClarkMay 23, 1894 Baldt Oct. 27, 1896 Fearn Dec. 6, 1949 Parks Jan. 17, 1956FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1892

